Racism and the Fear of Man

The Bible tells us the fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe (Proverbs 29:25 NKJV). Peer pressure or the fear of man compels many to do and say things they wouldn't ordinarily do or say. God commanded His chosen people to not follow a crowd to do evil (Exodus 23:2), yet peer pressure is still one of the most effective tactics the deceiver uses to entrap Christians today.

In my Feb. 15th post – “The Fear of Man brings a Snare,” we examined the actions of King Saul of Israel. When Yahweh ordered Saul to destroy the enemies of Israel, he failed to fully obey God. Consequently, the LORD killed the king because of his rebellion (1 Chronicles 10:13-14). But why did Saul go against the command of God? It states in 1 Samuel 15:24 - Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.”

I believe King Saul died because he feared man more than he feared the Most High. That was his tragic error. He feared the people and obeyed their voice instead of fearing God and obeying His word. We need to be reminded that, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Pro. 9:10). “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones” (Pro. 3:7,8). In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence (Pro. 14:26). The fear of man brings a snare, but the fear of the LORD prolongs our days (Pro. 10:27). “The fear of the LORD leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; he will not be visited with evil” (Pro. 19:23). And Proverbs 23:17 tells us, “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day.” Do you envy sinners? Are you zealous for the fear of the LORD?

Let’s turn now to a New Testament example of the negative results of fearing man. In the book of Galatians, the apostle Paul is explaining the doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone. In the early days of the church, false teachers claimed, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1). These false teachers, called Judaizers, believed in the doctrine of salvation by works. They asserted that faith alone in Christ was not enough, and that Gentile believers needed to be circumcised, i.e., follow the custom or law of Moses in order to be saved. They wanted to impose legalism, ritualism and a thin veneer of racism as necessary gateways to salvation (Galatians 6:13). Unfortunately, many denominations today have their own extra-biblical requirements for salvation.

This vitally important issue of salvation by faith alone was hashed out at what has been called the Jerusalem Council. The leaders of the early church, James, Peter, Barnabas, Paul and others, concluded that Gentiles need not become Jews (get circumcised and embrace the rites of Judaism) in order to be saved, see Acts 15:22-29. With that as backstory, let’s now consider an encounter, more of a clash really, between Peter and Paul in Galatians 2:11-13,

Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

This is an amazing episode from Scripture. Two leaders of the early church face off over the matter of salvation by faith alone vs. salvation by works of the law. Antioch is the location of the first Gentile church. The Gentile disciples were first called Christians in Antioch, see Acts 11:19-25. So, you can imagine the confusion that occurs when Peter shows up in Antioch, and later, decides to withdraw himself from the Gentile believers and refuse to eat with them. It’s an outrageous gesture! An insult to the gospel of grace. Even Barnabas was caught up in this foolishness.

Please note that “before certain men came from James” (from the church in Jerusalem), Peter joined in the fellowship meals of the church, where Gentiles and Jewish Christians ate together. This was no small matter because most Jews at that time would never eat with Gentiles whom they considered to be immoral sinners, see Acts 11:1-3. This fellowship meal was important because it demonstrated the unity of their faith in salvation through Christ alone. The Spirit teaches us, “There is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all” (Col.3:11). “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both [Jew and Gentile] one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation…” (Eph.2:14).

The fellowship meal was proof that the middle wall of separation had been broken down by the cross of Christ, which abolished the law of commandments and created in Christ one new man from the two (Eph.2:15). From a spiritual point of view, a believer in Christ is no longer Jew or Gentile, Black or White, American or African, circumcised or uncircumcised. First and foremost, I'm a Christian, a new creation (2 Cor.5:17), a fellow citizen of heaven (Phil.3:20) and a fellow member of the body of Christ (Eph.2:16,19; 4:4-6). For all believers in Christ, racial, cultural and even gender distinctions are a thing of the past. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

Some people in the early church didn't want to see the old things pass away and they did not welcome new things. Others, like Peter and Barnabas, would make three steps toward the new and stumble back two steps into the old. God was doing an amazing new thing during this time and everyone was confronted with a steep learning curve.

If Peter and the rest of the Jews no longer wanted to share the fellowship meal with Gentiles, if they were going back to the law of Moses and rebuilding the middle wall of separation between Jews and Gentiles, does that mean the gospel of grace is somehow insufficient? The false teachers, those who were of the circumcision, said it was necessary for Gentiles to follow the law of Moses in order to be saved. Peter’s withdrawn from the fellowship meal supported this error. It gave the appearance that he now agreed with the Judaizers.

But the Spirit-taught Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, would have none of this. He rebuked Peter publicly for playing the hypocrite. But why does the Holy Spirit describe this behavior of Peter and the other Jews as hypocrisy? This Greek word hupokrisis was used of actors who wore masks to display a certain mood or character. In this context, it means to pretend to be something you’re not. “And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with [Peter], so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.”

The Holy Spirit characterizes their behavior as hypocrisy because Peter and Barnabas knew the Judaizers were in error concerning God’s plan of salvation but they gave the impression of aligning with them anyway. They played the part or character of what they really were not, they practiced something that they really didn’t believe. Peer pressure compelled them to do something that they didn't ordinarily do. Per his vision of the great sheet in Acts 10, Peter knew that God is no respecter of persons and that ceremonial uncleanness was now obsolete. Nevertheless, both Peter and Barnabas pretended to not have closure on a key doctrine that they themselves had already debated and clarified at the Jerusalem Council sometime earlier!

Listen to what Peter himself said at the council: “ ‘Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. [Peter is referring to the word he delivered to the Gentiles of Cornelius’ household in Acts 10]. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.’ Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.” ~ Acts 15:7-12

Based upon his own testimony, we can conclude that Peter knew full well that Gentile believers are saved in the same manner as Jewish believers, by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph.2:8). Both Peter and Barnabas knew that Gentile hearts are purified by faith in Christ, just like Jewish hearts are purified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. This is why the Spirit of God calls them hypocrites, because they were pretending to be like those of the circumcision. They knew better than to act like that, to separate themselves from Gentile believers, but they did it just the same.

Which leads us to the next series of questions: Why did they play the hypocrite? What caused them to do something they knew was wrong? Why did they fall back into legalism and racism? Why were they “not straightforward about the truth of the gospel” (Gal.2:14)? Here is the answer and the main point of the lesson: The fear of man hindered them from being straightforward about the truth! Does that sound familiar? The fear of man causes many ministers today to cower in the corner and not defend the truth!

“For before certain men came from James, [Peter] would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision” (Gal. 2:12). The apostle Peter feared the Judaizers, the legalists, the hardliners, the false brethren who taught salvation by the works of the law. This is the real motivation behind Peter’s action - the fear of man, which brings a snare.

Thankfully, Paul recognized the gravity of the situation. His public rebuke of the apostle Peter was spot on because of Peter’s standing as a leader in the church. Paul said, “I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed.” Other believers in the church were not to consider Peter’s fearful actions as appropriate behavior for a Christian. Peter had his eyes on man instead of looking to the Lord. He was afraid of facing the arrogant attitude of the circumcision party, he yielded to their pressure and he went against what he knew to be right. His hypocrisy was an insult to the gospel of grace and it needed to be called out.

What can we take away from this account? Consider the words of Matthew Henry, one of my favorite Bible commentators: “Here we may observe Peter’s fault. When he came among the gentile churches, he complied with them, and ate with them, although they were not circumcised, agreeably to the instructions given in particular to him, Acts 10. But when there came jewish christians from Jerusalem, he become more shy of the gentiles, which doubtless caused great grief and discouragement. His fault herein had ill influence upon others, for other jews, from his example, scrupled eating with the gentiles. Barnabas himself, one who had been instrumental in planting many churches of the gentiles, was carried away with their dissimulation [hypocrisy]. Note the weakness and inconsistency of the best of men when left to themselves, and how apt they are to falter in their duty to God, out of undue regard to men; and the great force of bad examples, especially of such as are in reputation for wisdom and honour.”

No human being is all-knowing. No man or woman is infallible. At best, we see through a glass, darkly (1 Cor.13:12). If we're not vigilant, we might find ourselves playing a part, believing one thing and practicing another. Instead of trusting in the LORD for our safety, the fear of man prompts us to rely on alternate means for our security, namely, other people or ourselves and our own understanding (Pro.3:5-7). Like Peter and Barnabas, we too are prone to wander from the truth. It's important to recognize that whenever we depart from the paths of righteousness and succumb to peer pressure, what we are actually doing is elevating the opinions of people above the authority of the word of God. That's not a wise thing to do.

When I attended East Side Jr. High School, I begged my mom for a pair of cowboy boots I saw in Mack’s Second-Hand Shoe Shop on Broad Street. I was so excited to show my “new” footwear to my friends at school. But to my dismay, they didn’t like my boots. Instead, they laughed at me. Now granted, a skinny, black kid wearing cowboy boots in South Carolina is not a common sight, at least not in my neck of the woods. But I didn’t expect the cruel mocking and taunting and jeers that were directed my way that day. I was crushed. Kids can be mean, I felt like a fool for wearing cowboy boots to school. It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. It’s strange because when I left the house that morning, I loved my boots; but by the time I got home from school, I hated them. I took off those boots, threw them in the back of my closet, and I never wore them again.

I reflect on that experience because it reminds me of the power of peer pressure. I’m not proud to report that my peers shamed me into rejecting my boots. The fact of the matter is I really liked those square toe boots with the gold ring on the side, but my peers caused me to separate myself from them. I wish I possessed the intestinal fortitude during my school days to proudly wear my cowboy boots regardless of what others said about it. Instead, I played the hypocrite like Peter and Barnabas. The taunts and jeers from my classmates echoed the urban league that black kids don’t wear cowboy boots. So, out of undue regard to men, I pretended to dislike something that I truly liked. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was ensnared by the fear of man.

Grace, Peace and Jahspeed!

Brother Quick

Racism, the Covid pandemic, and social unrest are some of the pressing issues we are dealing with today. I contend there is nothing wrong with America that can’t be fixed by a Holy Spirit-filled, soul-saving, sin-killing, life-transforming, heaven-sent revival. Click here to learn more.